Amy Banks Realty, Inc.

What's In A Name?

(Taken from article in The Outlook by Lea Ann Stewart)

In the early days of Alabama as towns and communities were settled, the names of these settlements were chosen in a number of ways.  The early pioneers sometimes continued to use the Indian names that usually reflected geographical features such as creeks, rivers or mountains.  Another popular source for a settlement name was to honor a local settler or family by using the surname as part of the name.  Biblical names were also frequently used.

Tallapoosa County -- was created on December 18, 1832, from land acquired in the creek Cession of 1832, in the Treaty of Cusseta.  The county got its name from the Tallapoosa River, which bears the name of an Upper Creek town.  Tallapoosa is believed to mean "pulverized rock" in the Choctaw Indian language.  

Tallapoosa River -- forms the southern and eastern borders of Elmore County.  The river is known to be well-stocked with fish.  In the northern part of the county it flows into Lake Martin.

Alexander City -- was the site of one of the early towns of the Tuckabatche, a tribe of the Creek Confederacy.  It was called the Georgia Trading Post from 1830 to 1837, when it became known as Youngsville after James Young who settled in the area.  In 1873, the Savannah and Memphis Railway was routed through Youngsville and it was renamed Alexander City after railway president, Gen. E.P. Alexander.

Agricola -- is a Latin word for farmer which is appropriate for this once thriving farm community near Dadeville.

Barnesville -- was named for the Barnes family who were early settlers and landowners.

Benson -- was named for the John Benson family.  Benson operated a turpentine farm here.

Blue Creek -- was named for its bright blue waters.

Bulgers or Bulgers Mill -- was named for Michael J. Bulger, a farmer, store keeper and grist mill operator.

Buttston -- was named for the Butts family who settled in the area.

Camp Hill -- was originally called Burnt Hill, then Ashbank, and later Camp Hill because it was a good camping site for those traveling between LaFayette and Wetumpka.

Carrville -- was named for Jesse A. Carr, who settled in the area in 1820.

Cherokee Bluffs -- The bluffs once stood downstream from the present site of martin Dam and were dynamited and portions used in building the dam.

Concord -- is a small community around the old Concord Baptist Church and the Concord Creek.

Cowpens -- got its name because it was a convenient stopping point between Goldville and New Site to Alexander City where animals could be penned up for the night.

Cosby -- was named for James E. Cosby, one of the first county surveyors, a lawyer and a school teacher.

Dadeville -- began as an Indian trading post in 1832, was established in 1835, and named in honor of Maj. Francis Langhorne Dade, hero of the Seminole War in Florida in 1835.

Daviston -- was named in 1853 for John O. Davis, the first postmaster.

Dudleyville -- is one of the first settlements in Tallapoosa County and was first known as Pittsborough.  It was later known as Dudleyville after Peter Dudley, an innkeeper and early trader among the Indians.

Eagle Creek -- is a very old community named for a creek in the area.

East Tallassee -- was named by Thomas Barnett after the extinct Upper Creek town, Talisi.

Easton -- is probably named for for families that came to the area from the east before 1840.

Elder -- was first known as Ingram's Gap, was nicknamed Lickskillet, and later known as Pleasant Hill and renamed Elder after James D. and Thomas H. Elder.

Elkahatchee -- is a small community named for Elkahatchee Creek -- from the Creek ahalak hachi, "potato creek."

Frog Eye -- the origin of this name is not known but after the Civil War, the government operated a still in the area.

Goldville -- was incorporated in 1843 and was once a thriving town.  It was named for the gold discovered in the area in early 1842.

Hackneyville -- was named for the first settlers in the area, the Joe Hackney family that operated a grist mill.

Hamlet/Hamlets Mill -- was named for Jeff Hamlet who operataed several mills and a gin house in the area.

Jackson's Gap -- was named for an early trader named jackson who lived in the gap between the hills.

Lake Martin -- was named for Thomas Wesley Martin, president of Alabama Power Company.

Liberty City -- was named for Liberty Baptist Church, which was organized before the Civil War.

New Site -- was named when Goldville was abandoned and some of its former citizens moved to a "new site."  This occurred in the late 1840s to early 1850s.

Ourtown -- was named in 1913, from a speech "not your town, not my town, but Out town!"

Perryville -- was named for the Perry family who were landowners and businessmen.

Pine Grove -- was named for a grove of pine trees in the area.

Pinnell -- was named for J.W. Pinnell and was once a thriving community.

Ponders -- was named for the Ponder family, the first settlers in this area.

Reeltown -- was named for James and Phillip O'Real, who dropped the O and settled in this area.  When a post office was opened in 1880, the town was named Thaddeus for Thaddeus Webster, and in 1902 again named Reeltown.

Sardis -- was named for the Sardis Baptist Church, which was established in 1837.  The word Sardis is one of the seven churches of Asia mentioned in Revelations.

StillWaters -- Cecil Duffee named this for the Bible verse "He leadeth me beside the still waters.  He restoreth my soul."

Suzanna -- an early settlement that began in the mid 1800s and is now partially covered by Lake Martin.  The early spelling was Susanna.

Walnut Hill -- is named for the abundance of walnut trees in the area.

Hillabee Creek -- Hilibi was the name of an Upper Creek town and means "quick."

Hog Mountain -- shaped similar to a hog.

Wind Creek -- named for the Wind Indians.